I'll Protect You
by mangekyo uchiha
Summary: During the zombie outbreak, Yukiko Yukoto, along with his younger sister and small band of survivors fight to live amongst the dead. Frustration, hardship, morals, hopes, shattered dreams, all factors and emotions that make the situation even harder to live with. Can they make it through it all? Or will their lives be taken by ones who lost theirs long ago?
1. Beginning of the End (Pt1)

'I could barely sleep at all last night. For the past month, my mother...has been fatally ill. Two months ago she learned during a simple check up that she had breast cancer. Having passed from his own form of cancer, liver cancer to be exact, my father died the month before that. Our families source of income had disappeared. So much money spent on my dads treatment, and even more on my mother, it just all disappeared. And as my mother's condition slowly progressed, I couldn't afford to pay for her to stay at the cancer treatment center anymore. I was a high school second year student. My numerous part time jobs only earned me so much. All I could afford was for a few nurses from the downtown hospital to come and treat my mother while I was at school. I was only eighteen, and I had already became a full fledged adult. I had my mother to look after, and my little sister, Hanako as well. Losing her father, and watching her mother be as ill as she is, she has been through a lot. And she's only nine years old. I guess that's why I couldn't sleep last night. My father was dead, my mother was dying, and I still had Hanako to look after.'

* * *

"Big brother! Big brother! Yukoto!" little Hanako shook her brother awake. It was about six in the morning, and the sun was just coming out. Yukuto smiled at his sister, who matched his expression. She wore a school uniform, a black button up blouse with a red bow at the collar, and a white skirt that cut off at her knee.

"Ohayō, little one." he patted the top of her head, rolling over afterwards to stand up and get ready for the day. He usually didn't wake up this early, but he had to start matching his schedule with his sisters. He had to drop her off at school, and pick her up afterwards, day in and day out. Because of this, he didn't really have his own time to take to make friends. He was a notorious loner at Fujimi Academy, the school that he attended. Taking a quick minute to straighten out his hygiene situation, he combs his hair, brushed his teeth, etc. Changing into his all black school uniform, he grabs the set of keys on his nightstand. "Come now, Hanako, let's tell mother that we're leaving."

"Hai!" with natural energy she beat him to their mothers room, shaking the handle that happened to be locked.

"Mama? It's Yukoto and Hanako, I just wanted to tell you that were leaving for school, do you need anything before we go?" he didn't receive any response but a muffled moan and a few exhaspersted gasps. He silently assured himself that she must've been sleeping, so he led Hanako back to the main room. Not saying a word he stepped outside, locking the door after the young one went through.

"Yukoto hurry! I'm going to be late!" he grunted when he looked at his watch, realizing that he had about ten minutes to spare. The siblings both threw themselves into Yukoto's car before he sped off.

* * *

"Have a good day at school, Hanako. I'll see you afterwards okay?"

"You! Get the hell out of here!" a police officer approached Yukoto's rolled down window, shouting rather loudly.

"What for? My little sister goes to school here."

"This building is under lockdown. You're going to have to take your sister wherever your going."

"Lockdown? What could've happened at an elementary school?"

"I don't get paid enough to know that, but whatever it is, two people are already dead. So do your little sister a favor and stick with her, okay?"

"H-Hai...arigatō." the officer stepped away from the car, allowing them to leave. Two people were dead in there? It's a grade school, so what could've possibly happened? Now he had no choice but to take his sister to school with him. Indeed, this day would turn out to be very strenuous.

"Yukoto, what's going on? Did something bad happen?" she grabbed the cuff of his jacket, tugging on it lightly. He shook his head, silent as he looked onto the front doors of the school. The officer had spoken as if he was trying to downplay the situation, seeing how he urged him to bring Hanako with him rather than leaving her here. Trying to let it escape his mind, he drove away a headed towards his own school. About a half mile down the road he could see the black gates of the campus in the distance. Speeding up to catch the gate before it closed, Yukoto's gaze fixated upon a man who was walking down the road, body swaying as if he were sleepwalking.

* * *

"Yukiko. I see you're late yet again. And who's this here with you?" the teacher of the class berated Yukoto and his tardiness, but couldn't help but take interest in the girl who accompanied him.

"Ano...gomen, there was a problem at my little sisters school and-"

"It's fine, it's fine. But you really shouldn't be late during the beginning of the first semester, it'll negatively reflect on your record." he bowed to his teacher, with Hanako playfully mirroring him.

The day had gone by eerily slow. No-one gave him any troubles. No boys bullied him. No girls flirted with him. Everyone seemed disconnected. In all of his classes so far random female students would approach him about his sister, who seemed to enjoy meeting them all. But overall Yukoto was actually rather enjoying his sisters unexpected company. She might've been the only person he talked to besides their mother. You might even be able to classify their bond as the best friend type.

"Hey, Yukoto...Mmmmmmmn"

"What is it Hanako? The teacher is in a middle of a lecture."

"Ano...I'm thirsty."

"Go ahead." the gruff voice of the teacher let himself in to their conversation. Standing up quickly, Yukoto bowed before leading his sister outside. The nearest restrooms and fountains were upstairs, so they headed for the nearest stairwell. Yukoto walked slowly, with Hanako skipping while keeping her grip on his hand firm. As they came close to a stairwell exit, a very angry looking girl with pink hair tied in twintails walked past them. She muttered a 'hey',recognizing him form the current class they were in, but kept walking. Pushing through the metal door, Yukoto chokes a bit when he sees another student standing next to the rail overlooking the school gates. He stared on with a sense of disbelief, almost shaking when he glanced at Yukoto.

"Komuro?" Yokuto recognized his junior high friend, smiling while the latter couldn't manage to. He muttered a spine tingling hello, turning back to watch whatever had been horrifying him. Yukoto moved next to him, his expression turning sour to see what the two wanted to believe wasn't happening. A man was holding a female teacher by the collar, biting and gnawing at her neck, blood gushing everywhere as her cries of agony filled the area.

"Takashi-Kun! Do you remember me! Hanako?!" the small girl couldn't help herself, latching onto the boy like a belt. Her mood settled his scared one, but also brought him unto seriousness.

"It's been awhile. I wish we had more time to talk, but you saw what happened there, didn't you...Yukoto?" he hoped that he wasn't just imagining things, that he wasn't the only one who saw what had conspired down there.

"He just– what the hell..."

"C'mon! We have to warn the others!" the boy grabbed Yukoto by the wrists, pulling him and Hanako back into the main building.

Yukoto and Hanako followed Komuro, who just so happened to sprint back to the classroom they were just in. "Takashi whats's going on!?"

"Just wait here! I'll be back." Takashi walked into the classroom, emerging after a short five minutes with two other people.

"Who's this? And what's up with their hair?" an orange haired girl pointed at Yukoto and Hanako, who pressed both of their palms on their heads. Her insult stung a little bit, but it was ultimately understandable. The siblings both had bright white hair and crimson eyes, which were two shades of color that many had not obtained without the uses of contacts or hair dyes.

"He's a friend, and this is his little sister. But seriously, we have to get out now!"

"Are you telling the truth?" the boy next to the girl questioned Takashi with good reason. Not caring that he didn't know them Yukoto confirmed what Takashi had seen outside, and that was good enough for them. "If what you're saying is true, then we'll need some weapons."

"Weapons? In the school. While I do agree with you this isn't exactly an armory, Hisashi."

"Well...let's just look around and gather what we can."

"It's a shot. Fine. Let's go." Takashi started running behind Hisashi, until Yukoto had stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait! My bag!" he ran back upstairs leaving Hanako with the others while he went to retrieve his item. The two friends of Takashi had eyed the little girl with blank faces while she clutched onto the boys leg. Two minutes pass, and Yukoto finally makes it back, noticing that Hanako was now alone. "Komuro! He just left her here!"

"No! It wasn't Takashi-Sama's fault! It was that girls! She was impatient!"

"Then did they say anything at all? Where they'd be going by any chance?"

"No! They didn't tell me anything! What's going on Yukoto!

"I don't know, hey lets-"

The crackling of the school's intercom had silenced him mid-sentence. A man started speaking of an emergency taking place within school walls, although everything seemed so calm. He then went on to panicky order all of the students to follow their teachers to evacuate all of the school. That was the icing on the cake for Yukoto, who started to run downstairs, leading Hanako back to his car outside. As they ran and ran, the intercom continued to project. The man started screaming at someone or something to get away, his pleas then turning into screams and moans and cries for help. Now on the ground floor of the school, the screams of terrified students and teachers echoed from the upper floors as they stampeded towards the exits.

Ramming through the doors leading into the schools lot Yukoto saw a mass of people outside as well. They walked in what seemed like packs, moaning as they took each slow step. Most of their clothing was tattered and torn, bloodstains aplenty. Their eyes were a cloudy white, a beady black pupil in the middle, their skin a pale and clammy grey.

"What the heck is going on?" even in the situation he avoiding from using a curse word around his sister, who hugged his leg out of fear. The two had just watch 'them' bumrush a girl, pinning her down only to bite and tear at the poor things flesh with their teeth and bare hands. Just watching 'them' kill her slowy, painfully, was an extremely traumatizing experience. Is this what was happening? Was this the fabled emergency that was warned of mere moments ago? As the ravenous beings pulled away from their meal, the former being had reduced to a replica of a squirrel run over by a semi truck. Face unrecognizable, skin gone, limbs gone, she never stood a chance.

"Yukoto...that girl...she..." Hanako started crying, a blast of her vocals echoing through the empty lobby. Yukoto flinched when one of the creatures outside, a former student, turned its head in their direction, it's cloudy eyes locked on the booming little morsal. It starts to limp towards her with it's jaw hanging open beacause of the clearly unending hunger it possessed. Mere feet away, Yukoto muted his sister by covering her mouth, backing away to a corner of the room. As the thing stood were they once were, it stopped. Then, it looked straight at them again only to turn around a walk back out the door. "It...it didn't see us."

"But it heard you that doesn't make any sense, and it...was human. What happened that was clearly a human being, all of them are!" as he rambled insanely out of fear the sounds of frantic students could be heard coming ever closer. A few short seconds later the masses started pouring into the lobby and out the door only to be caught by one of 'them'. It was gut wrenching. Watching on as friends holding one-anothers hand, only to abandon the latter as soon as they were caught. It was a horid sight. People abandoning their morals just to live for a few more precious seconds.

"Yukoto! Hanako!" a familiar face burst through the river of students. It was a girl with long black hair that hung down the sides of her face, with a ponytail that pointed upwards before dropping down. In her hands she held a metal javelin, broken in half to be made smaller, and it was dripping with blood. Her uniform was also splattered with the dark liquid, and she was clearly terrified of what she had done.

"Otome-Chan! You're okay!" Hanako vaulted towards the girl, who aceepted her embrace with pleasure. Ishida Otome was an aquaintance of the Yukiko family, since Yukoto often hired her to babysit his sister while he was at work, which was very often. So obviously the young girl had grown quite fond of the teenager. "Yukoto-Nii San, can she come with us!?"

"Hanako, we can't just...I'm sure that she would like to get home to her-"

"Shite kudasai!" Otome interrupted him, making him jump with surprise. She was bowing before him, knees shaking as she repeated herself over and over.

"F-Fine! Come, we have to get to the car before it gets too crowded!" Yukoto hoisted a metal chair over his head, using it to smash open a window since the door was crowded with frantic people. The shattering glass attracted 'them' which prompted the three to run to his car. Cramming into the three person front seat, everyone felt comfort to be safe for the moment. Slamming his keys into the ignition, Yukoto slammed his foot on the gas pedal, ramming the former people in his path. Bursting out of the gates, he stopped the car about a quarter mike down the road. "We...we can't just leave. We're going back."

Reaching into his backpack, he pulls out two M-9 pistols, along with two extra ammunition clips. The two girls look at him quizically, not thinking he was the gun-toting type of person.

"Where did you get those?" Otome questioned him as he mentally prepared himself to go back.

"They're my fathers. I was going to try and sell them afterschool, to pay for some of my mothers medical expenses. I'll be back. I'm going to try and help who I can." stepping out, Hanako grabbed him by the wrist, tears in her eyes as she silently begged him not to depart.

"Yukoto...please come back okay."

"Of course. I promise."

* * *

"Hey! Over here!" Yukoto had fought his way back into the school, and was now back on the second floor. The insides of the building were more gruesome than everything he had seen outside so far. Corpses littering the floor, blood staining the walls, while screams bounced off of every surface. He had yelled out to a couple running up the stairs, but not loud enough to reach their ears. Running after them, he finds them at the top of the next floor, being eaten alive. There was nothing he could do now. He had been inside the center of action long enough to know that once one of 'them' bites you, then you're already dead. "Son of a bitch!"

The formers jumped up as his noisemaking, lunging at him with turtle like speed. No hesitation in his being whatsoever he sticks his weapons barrels into the two monsters mouths before splattering their brains all over the floor. As he moves through the hallway he can't avoid reflecting on what kind of person he was becoming. Of monster in its own light that must rely on violence just to live another day. It was a saddening feeling, even more so when he thought of his little sister. She would have to see him like this, and even turn into that kind of person herself.

"Oi! Oi! Yukiko-San! Help! Help me please!" seeing that he had firearms, a girl cried for his assistance from the other end of the hall, wrestling with a corpse that kept inching itself closer with its superior strength. Gasping at how close it was getting he went into a sprint, rushing the thing before pistol whipping it's skull in. "Arigatō, arigatō, you saved me! You saved me!"

'Ive never seen this girl before. Yet, it warms me to see how appreciated she is.'

"Gomen, but I don't know you. Have we met?"

*SMACK* "Nani! You don't remember me! Nakashima Youko!? I used to...you know..."

"Hey! You're that kid who bullied me in the sixth and seventh grade!"

"That was a long time ago!"

"Hmph...still happened...meinu."

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! Seeya!" he readied his weapons once again, stepping past her to move further down the hall. A few steps away, and the girl decides to latch onto his arm. He turns around, gritting his teeth in annoyance. But her face was enough to calm him. She was quivering all over, still shaken up from being so close to death. "Hey, let go, I have people waiting for me!"

"Please! Take me with you! I-I've done things...and I'm sorry! Don't leave me!" her short red hair hung over her eyes, but Yukoto could still see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Holding on to his morals and humanity he offered her his hand, directing her as he continued to run through the hall.

"You didn't get bit by one of those things, did you?"

"N-No...why?"

"Once you get bit...you'll die, and come back as one of them a few seconds later."

"That's why...all of my friends...they.."

"C'mon don't think like that! I need you to pay attention! Here, take one of these. If one gets close to you, hit it or shoot it in the head. It's the only way to bring them down." he handed her one of his pistols, along with a extra magazine and a few stray bullets. She hesitated at first, but the will to live pushed her forward. Taking the weapon in stride, she broke away from his grip to assert her independence. "Try not to shoot as often unless you have to. They use their hearing, not their eyes."

"What the fuck are these things?"

"People. They're damn people..."

* * *

Yukoto and Youko continued fighting through the halls, moving downstairs after helping whomever they could. Not finding anyone else who would be willing to come along with them, Yukoto abandoned his mission to bring the new survivor back to his car before things got any worse. By the time they had reached the outside courtyard, they had both ran out of bullets. Taking weapons they found on the bodies of dead students, they beat their way through whatever got in their way.

"Come on! There's my car!" the two ran faster then had before, reaching the vehicle in a matter of seconds. The girl threw herself in the backseat, Yukoto going into the drivers seat only to immediately slam his foot on the gas pedal. Halfway down the stret he sees a huge bus ram though one of the school gates, drifting as it tried to stay upright. Going even faster the towering vehicle sped past them, going the opposite direction. For a split second, Yukoto could see the face of Komuro through the dark windows.

"Otome-Chan!? Thank goodness, you made it out!" Youko had finally noticed the other girl in the front seat, exstatic to see a friend who wasn't trying to eat her alive.

"Thanks to Yukiko-Kun, yea."

"Hiya!" Youko jumps back when Hanako's head pops out from behind the seat. "Are you another of Yukoto-Sama's friends?"

"Hai, and judging by your eyes and hair you must be his...sister?"

"That's right! I've got the best brother in the world!"

"So, Yukoto. Where are we going now?"

"I have to go home."

'Mother. This morning...those moans... she couldn't have? Could she?'


	2. Beginning of the End (Pt 2)

"Wait! Yukoto, look!" Hanako broke her brother out of his focus only to have him slam the brakes. The car had stopped in front of the elementary school, which like the high school was in a state of chaos and disarray. Law enforcement crowded by their cars, shooting rounds into the bodies of undead that slumped towards them. Through the buildings doors parents and adults ran outside with their children, some of them bitten, not knowing their predetermined fate. Looking around the building, he could finally see the reason that Hanako wanted him to stop: a young girl, stranded alone atop the roof with the dead closing in. The child was Sato Hotaru, the little girl who lived next door to the Yukiko family, and Hanako's best friend. She kept waving for help from below, but it looked as if nobody could see her. "Yukoto she's in trouble!"

'The things I do for you, Hanako...' "Otome, the javelin. I can't solely rely on the guns, they bring too much attention."

"Let me go with you! I can help!"

"You'll just slow me down. Trust me I'll be fine." the girl handed him her bloody spear, before he jumped out of the car and ran towards his next mission.

The insides of the school held less death than his own, but it seemed worse here. That was brought on by the stressed fact that the corpses of young, innocent children littered the floors, being feasted on by their former teachers and loved ones. The opposite was also present, the bodies of adults the source of food for children whom had turned. Blazing through the ones who once made up the faculty and students, Yukoto ended their suffering with pleasure, while making mental excuses to justify it all.

Each floor contained more of 'them' than the last, his use of combat dwindling after each flight of stairs. Going from a tank on the battlefield to a scared child in his own right. By the time he reached the fourth and final floor, the number of walking corpses had deflated to a surprising low. He didn't find anyone alive on the lower three floors, but that wouldn't stop him from searching the classrooms on the fourth. Speed walking through the blood-stained hall he would open a classroom door, closing it slowly and without noise to see if all the room contained was the dead. Sifting through the last room makes him vomit, seeing nothing but a pre-teen girl, hanging by her neck from a rope tied to an overhead light. Her eyes were still open, and maintained their original color. She had never become one of them. She had done this to herself...

Abandoning the hope-draining sight he left the room, and headed straight for a black metal door that granted access to the rooftop. The first thing he saw was his target: young Hotaru. She had climbed atop one of the large air conditioning units, with a mob of hungry admirers amassed around the entirety of its diameter. Approaching the vicinity quietly, Hotaru beamed once she recognized the boy, shouting and laughing with utter joy and relief. "Mr. Yukoto! Mr. Yukoto! You came to save me!"

Thinking silently to himself he pondered on how to safely extract the girl from her perch. Too many of 'them' to fight off alone, he couldn't think of any possible way to do it properly. She could jump to him, but that was too great of a risk at the moment. What he needed was a distraction. Running back inside he gags when his new plan forms in his head. Walking back into the room with the dead girl, he quickly uses the javelin to cut her down and stabs her in the eye for added precautionary measures. Lugging the body back onto the roof, he bangs on the metal door behind him to attract attention.

"C'mon! Over here!" successfully attracting the full attention of the crowd the mob inches themselves after him as he drags the corpse to another corner of the roof. Throwing the girls body into the crowd, he brakes away to rush towards Hotaru. "Jump!"

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" the kid coils her arms around his neck like a snake the second he catches her. Running back into the building he slams the door behind him, letting it lock automatically.

"Are you okay? One of those nasty meanies didn't bite you, did they?"

"Nope! I was too fast! Ano...but they got my mommy and daddy though, they were locked inside with me...is that why they..." he didn't let her finish, pulling her closer to him to hug her tightly as she started sobbing into his chest. Her cries were becoming louder and louder, but he let them be heard. When she finally simmered down to a sniffle, she pulled herself away, hiding her eyes behind her light brown hair, before she revealed her smiling face. "But they would've wanted me to be okay... Right?"

"That's the spirit. Come now, you can stay with me. I've got some friends waiting for us outside, and Hanako's there too."

"You mean it!? I can stay with you?"

"Of course. And don't worry. I'll protect you."

* * *

"Hey! Did you see anyone else inside!?" a police officer waved down Yuktoto as he ran out of the buiding, Hotaru riding on his back. He quickly shouted out his 'no', making some adults behind him begin to cry, realizing that they had lost someone precious to them.

"That kid's a saint, isn't he?" Youko laughed in disbelief when she saw Yukoto approaching the car with his new friend.

"Hey everybody, this is Hotaru. She'll be staying with us." Hotaru climbed into the front seat, her subpple body letting her fit between Yukoto and Hanako. Otome quickly tried to ask her about her parents, stopping when she saw the little girls tear soaked face. After abandoning that she moved to praise the white haired boy, but stopped again , seeing that his arms were shaking as he maneuvered the car down the roads. His body rattled like it was thirty degrees outside, his stomach expanding and deflating quickly with each fear filled breath.

"Yukoto-Kun...are you okay?" Otome asked him, not getting back any sort of response that would give her an answer. He only remained silent, body shaking as his heavy breathing was the only sound within the walls of the vehicle. A few miles away from the school the car just stopped, being blocked off by a few of the monsters that stood in the middle of the street. Putting the car in park he let his head fall back, openly sobbing while he kept his eyes closed. The two teenage girls sat there not having any sense of how to comfort the boy. He started thrashing in his seat, banging his head on the steering wheel only to stay that way, hunched in his seat.

"There were...so many...so many..." he croaked again, sobbing loudly as everyone could see the tears dripping down his chin. He looked down at his torso and legs, croaking louder to see deep stains of red all over him. Pulling himself up in the seat once again he looked down at his hands, spots of blood covering the front and back of his palms. A shiver ran down his back, his body hunching over again. "So many...I can't. I can't...Rah! You fuckers!"

Yukoto switched the gears of the car, slamming the gas pedal to shoot forward, mowing down every one of them in his path. Through all the bumps, the car's tires splattered blood all over it's frame. Hotaru and Hanako held onto one another, trying to keep from bumping all over the place, while Otome and Youko pressed their bodies against the doors to keep themselves steady. A pile of mulch now behind them Yukoto sped off only to stop again a few blocks away.

"What's wrong with you!"

"I've killed today! Children! Six year olds! Motherfucking kidnergarteners!"

"They weren't themselves anymore! And you did it only to save someone just as innocent as they were!"

Yukoto ceases his yelling, only to focus on running down more of the undead. With the car going silent, he genuinely started to weigh in on the past few hours. As he delved upon his actions on this day he winced when Hotaru hitched her arm around his, letting her head rest against his bicep. Within all of his anger, he had recalled something from earlier.

'**_...but they got my mommy and daddy though...'_**

**_'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!'_**

**_'You mean it!? I can go with you?'_**

**_'They would've wanted me to be okay, right?'_**

**_'I'll protect you.'_**

'Can I do that? Can a eighteen year old take care of two young little girls in a world like this?"

* * *

"We're almost there. You two, Otome and Youko, we need to talk about something important. Now, before the little ones wake up again."

"What is it?"

"When will you two be leaving." the two girls jumped in their seats when he turned to them. His tone showed no hints of a joking mood, nor did his initial question. "You have families to get back to, don't you."

"My family! But they, my family is...overseas. My father got a job in the UK, so my mother went with him. I tried calling in the high school, but I couldn't get ahold of either of them..." Otome hung her head down in silence, Yukoto wringing back from his question like a fool, trying to withdraw the formerly important notion.

"Nice going, red. You made her sad." Youko intervened, smacking him upside his head before pinching his ear tightly.

"Quit making fun of me, MEINU. And what about your parents?"

"My mother worked at the school! And I never knew my father! So there...there's two points for you now..."

"You still need to answer my-...Just forget it." Yukoto hung his own head over the steering wheel, peering out just enough to drive properly.

* * *

*Smack* Yukoto woke the children while also snapping the teenage girls out of their silent daydreaming. The car door had shut, with the driver now outside of the vehicle. Scrambling to follow him the girls wiped the lines of saliva from their chins. The car had finally stop in the driveway of an upper-class looking house a few miles away from the school. Hanako and Hotaru seemed ecstatic to be in front of the home, but it seemed more odd to Yukoto to see Hotaru in such a happy mood. Her innocence clouded the sadness of her parents sudden death, but going through what she just did, most kids would be heartbroken.

"This is where you live? Someone must have rich parents." Youko nudged the boys side, only getting back a dirty look as his response. The house was tall, with large windows on it's midsection that showcased a large chandelier hanging in the main room. The outside and inside of the home was painted a bright white, with a bright red paint used to provide trimming to the door and windows. Pulling out a small ring of keys Yukoto swiftly opens the lock and invites the women in before entering the home himself. The inside of the home was empty, gone of any decorations and un-needed furnishings. "There's not much in here, did you get robbed or something?"

"I sold everything that was of no use or necessity."

"But why would you do that?" Otome cut in next, speaking quietly so as not to give off an offending tone. Yukoto drifted away from her question, noticing a black purse lying on a chair in the room. It wasn't his mothers, and it couldn't be anyone elses. It must've belonged to a nurse from the hospital, but that seemed impossible as well. "Hey, did you hear me? I said-"

"Wait." he raised a hand before walking over to the purse, picking up a cell phone that was lying next to it. Flipping it open he immediately started going through the devices contents.

"What are you doing! Don't you know better than to go through a woman's things?"

"Because whoever this woman is...I don't know her." he continued to fiddle with the device, opening a text message conversation that would make anything clear.

_'So are we still on for tonight?'_

_'Maybe. I think I might be catching something.'_

_'Isn't a nurse supposed to be at top health?' _

_'I felt fine this morning, but then, while I was walking into a patients house, some crazy homeless guy bit my wrist-"_

He stopped at that point in the message, with his hand shaking in fear. That had explained it so clearly to him. It was at one o'clock in the afternoon, and the nurses usually showed up at seven in the morning. There was no way the nurse would still be there, unless...

"Mom!" Yukoto screamed before dropping the phone down and gunning it upstairs. Everyone followed him, stopping in the middle of the staircase as he did so. Looking upwards the door of his mothers room was hanging open slightly. The lights were on, and shuffling noises echoed off of the cold time flooring. Tiptoeing up the last few steps Yukoto snatched away Otome's bloody spear, crouched over as he silently approached the door. "Mamma? Stai bene lì dentro?"

'The hell? What language is that? It clearly wasn't Japanese. ' Youko tilted her head at the boys sudden change in accent and dialect. He said the phrase again, using the tip of the spear to nudge the door to fully open.

"Ciao? E 'tuo figlio, Yukoto. Riesci a sentirmi?" at the sound of his next phrase a loud thud sounded in the room. Squishy footsteps followed the noise, which grew louder with every silent second. When the footsteps came to a halt, Yukoto tapped the metal spear against the ground. In response to the noise, one of 'them' appeared in the doors frame. It was a blonde woman in a white tee and shorts, snarling and moaning as she gnawed on a severed human arm with pieces of hospital scrubs dangling at the shoulder. Rather than rushing to end its newly regained life, Yukoto fell backwards in shock, disbelief, and utter dismay as he looked at the sight before him. "No...it can't be...this isn't...this can't be happening!"

His sudden shout brought the creatures attention onto him, still leaving the boy unable to move. As it crept towards its next target Yukoto couldn't help but let a whimper escape his voice as he crawled backwards. Dropping the spear, it rolled back down the stairs, stopping in front of the girls who tried to silence the now weeping Hanako. Crawling further and further back, Yukoto's body met a wall. Falling onto him the creature hollers as it grabs his arms, pinning him as he places his hands on its shoulders to fight back. With all his might he struggled, but his opponent's grip was unbelievably tight. As its body moves closer to his, he shuts his eyes to give up as his hands slip and fall to his sides.

*Tch!*

The sound of splitting flesh echoed slowly through Yukoto's ears. A warm sensation filled the cloth of his school jacket, but surprisingly, there was no pain. No numbness, no aches, no burning sensation at all. It must've bitten him, everyone else to pre-occupied and distant to stop it, right. He didn't want to open his eyes, however. Open his eyes to see that his mothers bite would be the end of him. But it turned out, that he couldn't help it. Parting his eyelids he started shaking when he saw the undead creature, stopped with its mouth open inches away from his collarbone. It's mouth hung open, now a fountain of blood that poured onto Yukoto's torso. Looking to the left he could see the metal javelin penetrating it's skull, the entry point above its ear. Looking further in the same direction he could see the person who had saved his life.

"Yu-...Yukoto...I'm sorry...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"H-Hanako..." a tragedy indeed. A family torn apart by a plague from the underworld. A daughter forced to end her mothers suffering for the sake of someone she loves just as much. Crying in unison the siblings hold eachother, a rain of tears influenced by something that indeed should be scientifically impossible. But why them? Why must the world turn on on a couple who had hard enough lives as it is? The answer was a simple one: The world had turned its back on everyone.

* * *

"C'mon. Let's...get away from this..." Yukoto picked himself up with Hanko in his arms, moving past the other three girls as he tried to ease her sadness. Following him the others threw out random words of condolences as anyone normally would, but it wasn't enough.

"Yukoto I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

"Stop it. None of this is you're fault. You couldn't...help what was happening. You did only what anyone else would have done. Just don't forget. Promise me that you won't forget."

"F-Forget what?"

"That she was our mother. And that she loved us both, very, very much..."

'On the day the world came to an end, Hanako had to kill her only mother. And I...had barely remembered something. I had remembered that tomorrow is little Hanako's birthday...'


	3. Minor Preparations and Predicaments

"Watch over her. Please."

"And where are you going?"

"I'm just going upstairs."

An hour had passed since the Yukiko sibling's great tragedy. And like anyone else would have, Yukoto couldn't help but cry inside and out. Entrusting his sister to Youko the brother walks back up the stairs to confront the corpse once more. "Spero sia stato indolore per te, mamma."

"What language is that?" Yukoto fliched to hear Otome's voice from behind him. She walked up the stairs quietly, stopping just a few steps behind him. Looking away from the body on the floor she waited for the answer to her simple question.

"It's Italian." he walked over the body and into his mothers bedroom, exiting with a white bed sheet. Draping it over the dead body he joins his closed palms together to bow his head in silent prayer.

"You can speak Italian. How hard was it to learn?"

"Well, most boys born in Italy can speak Italian. Learning to speak Japanese was the hard part. " he broke away from the girls pace to return downstairs, walking through the halls of the house that echoed with his sisters continuous weeping. Peering out of the front windows he could see the neighborhood streets slowly filling with the dead. A dark thought fills his head, only to be broken by the next sound of his sisters cry. Further walking through another hall, all the framed photos of his family pierced his heart, making himself start to weep. Sinking to his knees, he covers his face with his palms, the tears seeping through and running down his arms.

"Hey? Are you alright?" Otome appeared behind him again, kneeling beside him. She put her hands on his shoulder, but he just shrugged her off. Touching him again, he growled, making her jump back startled.

"She's all I have left...our mother is gone...we're alone...Go and get the others. We have to leave soon." Yukoto stood up to wipe the tears off of his face. Walking further down the hall he enters his room, only to continue mourning for a few seconds before rejoining the girls in the kitchen. Barging in he sees the four girls standing around a small television on the counter, a flimsy antenna pointing upwards to create a less than adequate signal. On the small screen a reporter was giving details that people should stay inside unless necessary, until meeting an untimely death by the hands of one of the monsters. Turning off the television to prevent loss of morale, he throws his backback onto a table before moving to the pantry. Taking a few room temperature bottles of water and throwing them into his backpack Yukoto rushes off and out of the room. During the short time that he is gone, he returns with a small box of ammunition and a sheathed katana. Slinging the katana over his back he tosses the ammunition to Youko and grabbing the backpack from table before moving to leave.

"We gotta go. Everyone outside." walking towards the main room Yukoto opens the door to see a pair of dead already walking towards him. Dropping the backpack to his feet he grasps the handle of the blade behind him. Pulling the weapon from its case he raises it upward as he lets its continued momentum direct it down upon the head of one of his attackers. As is spews blood onto the green lawn Yukoto swings the blade horizontally to behead and halt the other one. Swinging the blade towards the floor a large amount of blood splashes off of it before he hides it in it's sheathe once again. Grabbing the backpack from the ground he moves to car, waiting before everyone else is inside the car before entering himself. Throwing the bag under his legs he starts the car almost immediately before peeling out like a drag-racer. "So, any ideas on where we should be headed?"

"Can I ask why we left in the first place?" Youko questioned his decision, calling him on it quickly.

"If those things turn everyone it that large, suburban maze of a neighborhood, then we would be overrun, and doomed to die like rats. And I don't plan on dying for another seventy or eighty years."

"Since when are you the expert on these 'things'?"

"You wouldn't have to be an expert. You saw the school, didn't you? They turned almost everyone in a matter of minutes. Yukoto is right, and I'll follow any decision he makes." Otome uses the facts to silence the other girl, staring out the window to observe the walking dead that they passed. She had decided to rest, until she heard a rather unsettling noise, the sound of the engine turning off. "Please, tell me that did not just happen."

"I'm afraid it did. Outta gas. And looking at our new friends, I don't think they'd let us push the car in peace."

"Great, so what now you fucking genius?"

"Language. Please. We need to strategize. How can we go about walking the streets safely."

"Youko and I can each take a pistol, while the girls follow behind us, and you watch the back with your sword there." Otome quickly spoke her mind, describing a well thought out formation. Everyone agreed with the plan, but were also hesitant in leaving the car.

"Do we need to go outside, Nii-San? I'm scared..." Hanako grabbed her brothers arm with her shaky arms, rubbing her face against her sleeve.

"Aww c'mon you big baby! Your big brother is awesome! As long as he's around, everything'll be just fine!" Hotaru shakes her friend while shouting in an exhuberant tone of voice, while also bringing a bright light to a dark situation. With his sister somewhat settled, Yukoto stepped out of the car, with the others following and forming into Otome's described formation.

"So how about now? Can you think of anywhere we can go yet?"

"We have to find other survivors. Just...follow the screams."

* * *

"There's so many of them..."

"Just, keep quiet. We're okay as long as we're quiet." taking refuge in a dead end alley-way, the five survivors watched chaos ensue in the streets mere inches away from them. People fought back recklessly, with others scattering like roaches only to end up getting themselves eaten or turned by the beasts. However, those who fought back against the undead never really lasted that long, not knowing the one weakness of their opponent. "The sun sets in a few minutes. We need somewhere to camp out for the night."

"I don't promote violence, but I think the best idea would be to commit a home invasion." Youko was the first to make a suggestion, and it wasn't a bad one at that.

"Right now, the streets are too crowded with people, moving cars, and 'them'. From the looks of it the cars are heading to Onbetsu Bridge, more than likely trying to escape the city. So it might be best to stay where we are."

"Yukiko, thank you for proving once again, that you are INSANE. This alley is a dead end. Emphasis on DEAD, especially if we try and hide here." Youko showed her malice for the boys decision, making him guiltfully regret saving her in the first place.

"There are two dumpsters here. All we have to do is rotate them, and we can form a two section blockade. Like you said, it's a dead end, so we can settle all the way back there. We be quiet, and safely make it through the night." Youko choked up as Yukoto and Otome had already begun arranging the blockade. The dumpsters were wide enough to scrape against the walls when turned, so the idea was perfect. Placing the first receptacle at the opening of the alley, Yukoto wedged it in perfectly as Otome did the same with the second about two meters behind him. Climbing over the second bin Yukoto turns around to admire his simple and brilliant idea.

"Koto-Kun! Lookit that, there's a couch back there!" tugging at his sleeve Hanako quietly yells to her brother about her discovery. Walking back with the others he sees the object that caught her eye, a black, surprisingly clean sofa underneath a makeshift awning, along with a few foldaway chairs and a small table.

"Who would have this kind of setup?" Otome let herself fall back onto the sofa, sinking into it's comfortable fabric.

"This is probably some sort of break area for the businesses that's buildings connect into this alley. Either that, or there's a bum in the city who's good at furniture restoration." as Yukoto tried to settle in himself he immediately flinches when a loud series of screams and cries for help force him to stay alert. As he watches the carnage from afar, he questions his decision to keep everyone out in the open. As the screams and shouts carry on, a door within the alley had started to shake. From the other side something or someone was pounding on it with all their strength, the door finally flying open. A boy with blood splattered clothes had busted through the door, knocking it off it's hinges and onto the floor. The boy was about as tall as Yukoto, about six feet tall, and had raggedy dirty blonde hair. In his hand he held up a bloody kitchen knife, and in his other hand he held a smaller knife.

"...!" he shouted at the group, slapping himself when he realized that they didn't speak his language: English. "Uhh...Japanese, I keep forgetting. Eh! I forgot, c'mon! Those things, they're coming this way! I have a car out front, follow me!"

Looking at the boy as he runs towards their barricade, the group ponders on the idea before the moans of the dead become closer and closer.

"Great, just when we thought we were safe." sweeping Hanako from the ground and into his arms Yukoto crouches down for Hotaru to climb onto his back. Running after the other girls and the strange boy he barely darts past a few of 'them', picking up enough speed after that to jump on top of the first dumpster and then onto and off of the next one. An army of the dead now in the street he barley gets a glimpse of the girls waving him down from a car across the street. Taking a deep breath, he slowly crosses the road, maintaining his silence in order to remain undetected. Reaching the car, he lets the youngsters down to enter the vehicle, remaining outside to protect them before he quickly throws his body into the passenger seat, the car speeding away shortly after.

* * *

**A/N**

**Terribly sorry that this took so long to update! But alas, I have a good reason. I broke my leg a week ago, and was in a hospital until today. So, due to being reduced to a wheelchair for five more weeks until I can take this cast off, I can update this story more frequently. The updates will most likely be every other day rather than the usual once a week, so I'll see you then!**


	4. America no Baka

"...?" the strange boy spoke out of nowhere, and in English once again. Shaking his head in frustration he thinks to himself how to translate his question into the Japanese language. Yukoto, looking at him in annoyance and confusion, finally decides to speak out and address his 'problem'.

"Why are you staring at me?" the boy catches his question, clearly knowledgable of words of the Japanese language, just not good at speaking it. Blushing with embarrassment the boy thinks about the words needed to answer him, snapping when he finally figures out how to say his sentence.

"You must be a die-hard anime fan." letting his sentence out, the boy chuckled lightly as Yukoto didn't know what to make of his awkward statement. Flipping down the visor mirror, he stares at his reflection to try and figure out the origins of the accusation.

"Because of..."

"Your dyed white hair, and your red contact lenses. And that sword, you look like someone out of a manga!" irked at his horrible explanation, Yukoto covers his face with his palms as Youko bursts with laughter in the backseat.

"This is my NATURAL hair color! And this is my NATURAL eye color! And THIS is my GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHERS katana, which had been passed through my family throughout the generations!" clearly upset by the newcomers shrewd assumptions the white haired boy explodes with rage as he vents on the accuser. The driver bashfully laughs at his truthful speaking, before his ear is pinched by someone behind him.

"You big meanie! Stop picking on Koto-Kun! My mommy said that red eyes are beutiful, so who cares what you think, dummy! You stupid dummy!" yanking on his ear with each anger filled word, Hanako defends her beloved family member. At the end of her berating, she releases his ear, hearing him sigh with relief before she used the same hand to slap his cheek repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" apologizing to his attacker, the boy is relieved when she finally ceases her assault. Looking towards Yukoto, he smiles before offering a hand in greeting. "The names Tyson. Amano Tyson."

"I'm Yukiko Yukoto. And that little dragon back there is my sister, Yukiko Hanako. The little girl next to her is Sato Hotaru, and the girl with black hair is Ishida Otome, and the OTHER one, is Nakashima Youko..." dragging out the word 'other', Yukoto expresses his dislike for Youko, who reacts with a simple pointing of the tongue. "But you, you're a foreigner, aren't you?"

"Yep, I'm Japanese-American, born and raised in the great New York City!"

"American? So what're you doing all the way over here in Japan?" Otome asked, leaning forward to hear his answer.

"My plane barely landed here this morning. Before all of this happened, I had just gotten done setting up in my new apartment. I came here on a student visa. My father went to a school around here, Fujimi Academy I think it was called, so he really wanted to send me there to finish High School. My first day is supposed to be tomorrow."

"Well you're lucky you weren't there today. Most of the students, they were killed...by those...things." Yukoto fliched as he reminisced the day and the horrors it had brought.

"Zombies."

"Huh?" Yukoto didn't quite understand what Tyson had meant, and asked him to repeat and explain himself.

"Zombies? You know, like in the movies and video-games. They move slow, and turn people into one of them with a single bite? It's ironic actually, there are so many people in the world who want zombies to exist, and now that they do, I hope that those people are among the first to die." Tyson's explanation made a ton of sense, but the question weighing heavily on the worlds shoulders was how all this came into happening. "Well, is there somewhere I can take you? Your families, perhaps?"

"N-No. But we all need somewhere we can sleep for the night." Yukoto had been holding onto his seat as he spoke, the vehicle bumping with every zombie that's body smashed against it's frame.

"Well, if we make it through this crowd of monsters we can hide out at my place!" smashing through more of the undead brings Tyson an adrenaline rush, the sensation making him smile with glee. As he drove through the creatures, he had failed to notice that the car was becoming more and more sluggish, until it came to a point were it stopped moving alltogether. Cursing under his breath he notices that the fuel indicator reads full, so he quickly guess that the problem may be an exterior issue. Rolling down his window Tyson adjusts his side view mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of what may have caused this predicament. When he catches the problem, he slaps himself for being so reckless. A bone protruding from an undeads severed arm had penetrated the rear tire, all the air now free from it, all while reducing their vehicle to an immobile status. As he continues to stare at the mirror, the boy catches something even more dangerous than a flat tire.

"Tyson. Oi, Tyson!" yelling at the peak of his ability, Yukoto snapped Tyson out of his thinking. "What's wrong?"

"Get out! Get out get out get out!" pulling Yukoto towards him and falling out of the car, Tyson continues shouting until the girls all exit frantically as the boys had. Turning his head, Yukoto sees a large truck barreling down the street and towards their uninhabited vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was clearly deceased, a former female gnawing at his next as the bulky truck rammed into their car and continued its path of destruction until hitting a street light. Their carriage now overturned they are forced to continue on foot once again. The sky growing ever darker, the danger had amplified without anyone noticing, for the number of walking dead had increased, and was still growing. Standing on the sidewalk, the group could see 'them' limping towards their direction, hunger driving their one-track minds.

"Ahhh, eh! I've got it!" yelling as an idea comes to mind, Tyson is startled when a hand comes over his mouth. Yukoto stood in back of him, as nervous as he was, watching a few of 'them' slowly approach. Tyson gulped as they stopped in front of him, moaning and howling as they stared directly at him, before slowly walking away.

"You have to be quiet..." Otome whispered to him.

"R-Right...But I have a plan..."

"What?..."

"We go...that way!..." Yukoto stared a the odd boy, wondering how he was so unfortunate to have ever crossed paths with him.


	5. Searching for Safety (Pt1)

"In here?" checking yet another building, the small group had entered another debate on whether or not to remain in the newly discovered area. The place they had just found was a small abandoned restaurant, empty of all life, living and dead. After a brief argument where Yukoto said leave and Youko said stay, the red eyed boy came out victorious,pointing out the door of the establishment hanging off its hinges. The search was becoming very tedious, the sun having set so long ago, yet the dead needed no sleep. Fighting through the city was of course exhausting, and the group would surely perish if shelter was not taken soon.

Everyone had taken seats around the eatery, excluding Tyson, who went behind the service counter to pick at the warm food sitting in the serving plates. Resting his head onto the table before him Yukoto starts to show how exhausted he is, the brief rest he was taking trying to force him into sleep. Standing up as he prepares to leave, he grabs a bottled water from his backpack, unscrewing the cap to pour the cooling liquid all over his face. With a single motion of his hand, he ordered the group back into formation. Since Tyson's arrival a few hours ago, the group had formed a square formation, a teen on each side with the two young girls behind them for protection. Otome and Youko had the sides, avoiding using their firearms unless necessary. In the front was Yukoto, slashing through with his katana as Tyson blocked the rear with his knives. Stepping outside the group immediately took their places, noticing that the activity was still as strong as it was earlier, if not more heavy. Looking down the street, a lone figure was running down the road towards their direction.

"Tyson, you said you live near here, right?" Yukoto turned to Tyson, who happily shook his head.

"My house is around the corner."

"I thought you said you lived in an apartment?" Yukoto stopped the group, turning around to point his now unsheathed blade towards the American boy.

"C-Calm down, I know I said that, bu-"

"But what? Look, if you end up or plan on leading us into danger then don't bother trying to help at all."shoving the blades tip at Tyson's nose, Yukoto grimaces darkly, a mass of frustration and fear in his eyes.

"L-Look, It was a simple mistake. I-I promise. I live in a rented out house. I promise." gulping at his last uttered word, he breathes a sigh of relief when Yukoto lowers his blade to his side.

"Fine then. Lead the way." sweat dropping, the American boy swaps places with Yukoto, and starts running a certain direction. As he slides his blade back into its sheathe, Yukoto starts to hear footsteps coming from behind him.

"Wait! Please, wait!" a woman's voice echoed through the streets, bouncing off the walls of the silent night. The group turns around watching her approach with a few of 'them' slowly limping after her from afar. Through the shadows and darkness, Otome could see her carrying two things: a large looking rifle, and a small plastic bag. The woman looked utterly exhausted, her tattered clothing ripped and torn in various areas, and her heavy breathing pointing that out. As she stops in front of Yukoto and the others, he notices something familiar about the woman. "It's you!...Oh how good it feels to find someone like you, of all people!..."

The woman was Yamada Amaya, a nurse from the local hospital, and one who was most often sent to care for Mrs. Yukiko. As she made smalltalk with the young man she gave her deepest sympathies, discovering his mothers fate, and then immediately cut to the chase. Requesting to accompany them, he fails to think of any repercussions, and ends up saying yes. Beaming with relief, the woman hugs him, backing away afterwards to hand him the rifle in her hands.

"No way!...That's an M16!...How'd you get ahold of an American military firearm!?..." Tyson ran up to Yukoto, questioning the woman as he admired the weapon.

"American?...I didn't know it was American...But it was my husbands, he gave it to me..."

"Then why give it to me?..." Yukoto asked her. As he awaited her answer, the woman simply frowned, moving into the light to show him why. A series of bite marks were along her bare right leg, each mark light, yet fatal. Her reason revealed, the woman starts to cry, her hair hanging over her face.

"PLEASE! KILL ME! Don't let me turn into one of THEM!" shouting at Yukoto she pulls the barrel of the gun to her head, yelling her request once again. Pulling the butt of the gun to his shoulder, he puts his finger near the trigger, listening to her repeat the impossible request again. He pondered on killing a human, which still seemed imorrall in the way things were becoming. Staring at the woman before him, he starts shaking as she begins to cough up dark blood. As she hangs on to her humanity, she looks Yukot in the eyes as he finally pulls the trigger, ending her suffering.

"T-Tyson...lead the way..."

* * *

"Here, take these. That woman was carrying them on her." Youko handed Yukoto four fully loaded magazine clips for his newly acquired weapon. Taking them in hand, he slides one into each of the pockets of his pants. As they continued walking, Yukoto moves the katana from his back to his waist, and hangs the rifle behind his back using its sling. "And then there's this thing. Don't know what it is though."

"That's a suppressor. It holds back the noise when the gun is fired. Thanks." taking the valuable piece of equipment he reaches behind himself to screw the piece onto the front of the weapon.

"Are you okay."

"I'm fine. We should catch up to the others."

"You're exhausted. You need to slow down and take it easy."

"If already need to rest, then tomorrow I'll surely die, because I don't think any of this is something that just 'rolls over' and goes away after a week."

"We've been walking for awhile now, all while fighting those things. It's natural to feel tired after all of that. So what's up with you?"

"What's up with you? Where are your insults and accusations?"

"Why would I insult you?"

"That's what I kept asking myself, back then when you spearheaded the verbal assault that would come to ruin my life."

"That has nothing to do with-"

"Yes it does, because now I don't get a chance to fix all of that. But then again a 'Red Eyed Demon' like me shouldn't care now, right? The world starts to end, and previous squabbles become non-existent, is that what you think?"

"It was only childish teases, I didn't know that-"

"That what? The kids from grade school wouldn't be around the years after that? Well they were, and those childish teases, they hurt. So stop acting like you're my friend now, because you aren't...and you never will be."

"Hey! Hurry up, we're here!" Otome shouted from ahead, waving them down as Tyson wrangled with a few zombies behind her. Shooting Youko one last dirty look, Yukoto runs forward to catch up with everyone else, with the other girl jogging slowly behind him. The neighborhood they had ended up with was a few blocks away from Onbetsu Bridge, and had very narrow streets throughout. Unlike the other houses around it, Tyson's didn't have a wall or a front gate, but it did have a large two car garage.

W-Wait...I forgot to give you these." Youko quickly runs back to his side, lifting a plastic shopping bag in front of his face. Taking it from her hands swiftly and rudely he parts it open, revealing a small black box. Using his thumb he flips the lid open, revealing a reasonable amount of loose bullets, most likely compatible with his new weapon. Abandoning the bag and box he motions for Hotaru to join his side, removing the backpack from her body to dump the ammunition and extra magazines into one of the empty pockets.

Even with the bag now full of ammunition, it's weight seemed light enough for the girl to manage, seeing as took the bag back in stride, lifting on herself without a problem.

"We've got a problem..." Otome whispered aloud as she and Tyson hung their heads down in shame. Walking closer to everyone else, the American boy steps forward, taking a deep breath before letting his bad news be heard.

"I left my house keys in the car."

Frowning immediately, Yukoto grasps the sides of his head, opening his mouth to silently scream out his frustrations. Grabbing Tyson by his collar, he shakes him wildly, uttering a series of insults into the boys ear before finally releasing him. "You don't have any other way in? Anything?"

"There's one way, now that you mention it... But it probably isn't-"

"I dont care!...Just tell me what it is!..." looking towards the top of the house, Tyson spawned a mischievous smile, before turning back to him and releasing a small chuckle.

"You've heard of Santa Clause before, I assume?..."


	6. Searching for Safety (Pt2)

**A/N: I have no excuses for myself. Well, that sounded more stupid then I thought. I'm back! I don't know where I went though. Maybe I was in a coma. **

"You don't have a chimney. Stupid." Youko slapped the back of Tyson's head, pointing up to the houses roof afterwards. Laughing it off his crouches down, staring at the front door of the house. A mere locked door had transformed into a mote guarding the entrance to a castle.

"Hold on...knock on the door." Tyson stood up, looking to the top floor of the dwelling, targeting the window to the right side. Moving on his own accord, Tyson approaches the door to bang his right fist upon its hard wooden surface. Jumping back almost immediately to view that top window once more. With all the others mirroring him out of intrigue, they all flinch, while Tyson smiles as the room behind the window lights up. Otome jabs the American boy on his arm, pointing to the window everyone was so focused on. Ignoring her, the anxious states continue as a loud series of steps are heard, and the latch on the front door eventually clicks open.

*BAM!* the door flies open immediately. Struck by said door, Tyson flies off to the left as he stumbles from the contact. A bright light shines on the group, and Yukoto barely makes out the barrel of a gun before he decides to raise his own weapon. Shifting to his right he blocks to two young girls from possible danger as they cower on the lawn.

"Put the gun down!" The boy makes his demands behind his quivering hands, his finger jittering at the base of the trigger as his shoulder stiffens under the end of the rifle. Seeing his weapon, the one at the door shuts off the light at the base of their guns barrel. A tall, busty woman was standing in the doorway, her clothing torn and tattered, blood staining her torso and parts of her long brown hair. Witnessing Yukotos determination and resolve, she drops her weapon, a sleek black shotgun, on the floor beside her.

"The hell, Amy! You don't know how to say 'who is it?'!"

"Tyson? Tyson, you're okay!" the woman hoists him up, smashing his cheek against her bosom, until he pushes away out of embarrassment. Shaking the poor boy like a pendulum the woman does not cease her display until seeing Yukoto heave over in his loss of strength. Throwing out a few words in english, she instructs Tyson to bring his company inside, to diagnose the white haired boys current trouble.

"...?!" the woman sat Yukoto in a chair, shouting at him in her foreign dialect as she barraged him with questions he could not answer.

"Amy, you're speaking English!" the woman slaps herself after hearing Tyson's remark spoken in Japanese. "Just speak Japanese, and stop switching between the two!"

"Well then..." the woman blushes in front on Yukoto as she lets her hands wander over his trembling form. Feeling his fourhead, he had shown no signs of having flu symptoms, yet alone any othe basic health problems.

"I told him he needed to slow down. This is what he gets for being so ignorant." Youko scoffed at Yukotos weakened form, paying him no mind as she bypassed him, moving to kitchens sink to wash her face. Otome sighed, not able to help but agree with the statement, as she and Tyson both nodded at eachother with affirmation. All but two had placed the big at fault, and those two angels had crowded around his side to show their affections. Hanako had clasped to her brothers torso, while Hotaru squeezed his hand. By now he had passed out, his snoring the only vocal noise within the room.

"So, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Tyson?" the woman stood up, her eyebrows bouncing up and down as her eyes switched glances between Tyson, Youko, and Otome.

"We are NOT friends! And who are you, his mom or something?" Youko, speaking for the group, mostly herself, points her finger at the odd woman. Giggling at the fiery teenage girl, Amy steps next to Tyson, throwing her arm around his body.

"I'm only twenty-eight years old, a little young to be a mother, but I'm not. I'm his sister, Amano Amy, at your service."

"And that service, would entail..." Youko started.

"The dunce is actually pretty smart. She came along with me to get a job at the school as a nurse. She was hired, not that it matters now. " Tyson cut through the formalities, spitting everything out into the open. Then, his eye twitches in anger, recalling something before he pushed his sister away from him. "Smart, I take that back! You held us at gunpoint just now!"

Youko and Otome catch on as well, adding in a simultanious 'He's right!' as they both stomped the ground. Amy only giggled again, pointing at the gun which she had held. Asking Tyson to lift it from the floor, he cringes stupidly as the 'weapon' rattles around at the slightest of movements. Poking at the trigger, he sighs as a tiny puff of air escapes from the barrel, with nothing but a plastic red pellet editing the barrel.

"It's an...airsoft gun."

"Just like the one that boy had aimed at me, yes?"

"Not...exactly. Sorry sis."

"Im sorry about that, actually." Amy jumped as Yukotos hand patted her right shoulder, yet she pouted when she saw him walking to the front windows. peeking outside he relieves himself by seeing an empty street. "My names Yukiko Yukoto, and I apologize for our form of meeting, Ms Amano."

"If only you were older..." Amy whispers.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! Now there's plenty of rooms to rest in now make yourselves comfortable I'll be upstairs okay bye!" Amy turns around to bolt up the flight of steps, her brother chasing after her, demanding a debriefing of how she became covered with blood, and how her garments were so tattered.

* * *

As things slowly began to settle, everyone stood silent, merely standing or sitting around various places among the homes first floor. Youko had taken a seat at the kitchen table, Otome was standing, leaning over the countertop, while Yukoto leaned back in a recliner in the livingroom, Hotaru and Hanako sitting with him on the arms of the chair. Things had seemed peaceful, the noise of death and chaotic anarchy had all but disappeared, but from where the were it wasn't a problem.

As minutes went by, the sandman had cast his spell on the young children, their almost lifeless forms slouching against Yukotos sides. Creeping out of the chair, he watches them both slowly tumble into his previous seat, and into a full form of rest. Too filled with worry and fear, the boy walks into the kitchen, grunting first as he sees Youko staring down at the table in front of her, her hair hanging down the front of her face as her quiet whimpers drowned out the quick pitter-patter of her falling tears.

"You should be resting. You do look more exhausted than the rest of us." Otome stopped Yukoto, sitting him at the small two person table near the kitchens refrigerator. "Are you still not eating anything?"

"You know that already. I worked from after school, until I went to bed that same night, every night for the past three months."

"We'll yes, I know you haven't eaten, but why? Surely you had the time to do so?"

"The time, certainly. But no food to eat. Any food that was aside for me, I gave to Hanako. Before I left for work everyday, you would show up to look after my sister, yes? Well, as you know, I cooked dinners for you, my mother, and my sister, and stored them away for later. Thinking ahead, I needed to save money to pay for our accumulated bills, so I cut my portion out of the equation. I only bought food intended for the three of you."

"Why didn't you tell me!? I would've worked for free if you had needed me too!"

"Because of Hanako. She adored you. If paying for you to look after her day after day would keep her happy, then I would gladly starve."

"But you paid me by the hour!"

"I know I did. "

"I feel so rotten...Let me cook you some food for a change! Here, I'm sure Ms Amano wouldn't mind!" standing up excitedly, Otome gathered some pots and pans, and began rummaging through the refrigerator for ingredients. As he watched her go about her business, Yukoto noticed something odd about her. A red glow spread across her face, along with a thin layer of sweat atop her brow.

'Is she...' he stared at her some more as she threw some vegetables onto a cutting board, and couldn't help but notice that she was trying so hard. She turned more red as the seconds went on, and even gritted her teeth out of nervousness. But soon enough, as expected, his energy had gone, and he had finally fallen asleep.

* * *

**The Next Morning...**

Yukoto hadn't woken up until the next morning. Noticing the exact second he had fallen unconcious, Otome had ceased her cooking, returning the uncooked ingredients to the refridgerator. As of now, everyone was now awake and alert, worried about whether or not they would be able to stay in their current haven for much longer. All had gathered in the living room to converse, debating on a course of action. The discussion had escalated quickly, the group separating into two factions with different opinions. Otome and Yukoto, with the children blindly following them, wished to surround themselves with a multitude of other survivors, while Youko and the others planned on waiting out the entire endeavor where they were.

"We're not going out there to die!" Youko, shoved a finger into Otome's face, and then turned to Yukoto next. "Talk some sense into her, red!"

"And who said I'm siding with you!? You saw the newscast, they're evacuating citizens from the city via Onbetsu bridge!"

"That's no evacutation, it's a buffet line!"

"Be nice to my big brother! It's our birthday today!" Hanako stepped between her brother and Youko, wiggling her finger at the angry girl in a 'no' type of gesture. Everyone reeled back at the girls demand, staring at both her and her brother wide eyed.

"Did you say 'our'?" Youko tilted her head, putting her hands on her hips as if to call shenanagins on the declaration.

"Yes I did! We were both born on the same day, so we share this day together! Now shut up, so I can give him his gift!" pulling down an eyelid she makes a face at Youko before running off into the other room to drag in the large black backback they had brought with them. As he watched her, Yukoto smirked as she started digging through the large bag. "It's a very special gift, that mommy told me to give Koto-Kun on our birthday."

Finally grabbing hold of the seemingly important gift, Yukoto closes his eyes per his sisters request, and holds out his hands. As she passes on the item, he feels the light touch of leather, yet heads the small rustling of metal. Opening his eyes, he glows in delight of the item, a short rapier that had belonged to his mothers family since she was a child. The blade was about half the size of his katana, yet held a point just as sharp, if not sharper. Pulling it from its leather sheathe, he becomes teary eyed at the added engravings on the blade. On each side of the blade were the family names of Yukiko and Drago, and along the rounded piece of metal above the handle in small letters, was an engraved message.

_To my beloved son, I will always love you. _

_Your Mother,_

_ Lucinda Drago_

Seeing these words was enough to have him waver on his emotions. To Yukoto these words were his mothers last, so it cut a thin line between happiness and sadness. It also brought him warmth, knowing that his mother was thinking about him even as she approached death. Realizing finally that his sister is without a present, he snaps his fingers loudly, reaching around his neck to remove a platinum chain from around his neck. On the end of the chain was a silver locket, containing pictures of their parents, in much happier times. Looking at the small photos one final time, he holds out the chain, and drops into Hanakos cupped hands.

"What's ironic is...I need this for my daily life now. And when did you find the time to stash this in that bag?"

"It's a secret. I'll never tell!" Hanako quickly threw on her new necklace, then ran foward to hug her sibling. In the backround everyone had stopped bickering, and Tyson had started singing 'Happy Birthday', while the others joined in along the way. When the chant had finally ended, it was because of a bang on the front door. The room became silent in an instant, and then, shortly after, a moan sounded from behind the door, and a multitude of bumps sounded. One of 'them' was outside, drawn in by the noises of happiness and merriment. From then on out, there was only silence and realization. Realization that safety could not be attained.

"Should we?" Youko looked to the others, who only made gestures to refrain from taking action.

"Just let it be. The noise made killing it will only bring others nearby." Yukoto moved to the door, bringing an eye to the peephole. The zombie had turned around, distracted by something else.

"Noise? They're attracted to noise?" Amy raised her hand like a child, asking her question to whomever would provide an answer. Seeing the nodding of heads she made a face, as if she were thinking about something. "Since we haven't decided, we should figure out whether we leave, or stay."

"We're leaving. At least I can say that for the children and I. Nothing makes more noise then a mass of frightened people, so maybe staying in a big neighborhood like this isn't such a grand idea." Yukoto peered out the front windows, seeing a small mass of the dead forming towards the left of the home. Walking back into the kitchen Yukoto swiftly leaves the presense of the others, returning with the gun he had received the night before. Walking up to Tyson, he holds out the gun for him to take.

"What for?" Tyson asked.

"I have two great weapons already. And I figure that this will be of more capability in your hands." Tyson slowly takes the firearm from his hands, and shows off his smile. "Carry that backpack. It has all our ammunition, and our water."

"Sir yes sir. And may I ask that my sister and I join you? I don't want to die." Yukoto grinned, nodding his head, while the other two girls pitched in their requests as well. The group would leave as a whole, and would hopefully remain a whole.


End file.
